(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of making a non-liquid fruit product which has a natural fruit flavor and which can be formed in desired configurations and sizes. More particularly, the present invention relates to particulate fruit product as a food product, where a substantial portion of the end product is derived from the fruit itself. The fruit chip product has a desirable balance of qualities of taste, texture, shelf life and other characteristics, giving a semblance or character of fresh fruit. The product by itself is a very tasty snack-like product, but it can also be incorporated advantageously in any number of other products, such as baked products, cookies, snacks, confectionery cereals, etc.
b. Background Art
There have been various methods disclosed in the prior art where natural fruit is used as an ingredient for a food product which has a fruit-like flavor or characteristics. A search of the prior art disclosed a number of these, and these are as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,084,296 (Lugay et al) discloses a method of making simulated fruit pieces to be combined in breakfast cereals. The moisture content in breakfast cereals is generally about two percent to three percent, and when the particulate fruit product are mixed into the breakfast cereal and stored for a period of time (four to eight weeks), the fruit's moisture drops below ten percent. The process in this patent is to make the fruit piece so that the dry food product in the cereal/fruit mixture can maintain a moisture content as low as two percent, and yet the fruit pieces maintain a softness.
______________________________________ Citrate acid 0.3% to 1.0% Sodium citrate 0.1% to 0.4% Glycerol 15% to 30% High Fructose solids or other 5% to 35% sweetening compositions such as crystalline fructose ______________________________________
The above weights are given as percentage of the total fruit piece.
Also separately from the liquid portion, the solid portion is prepared, this being the fruit solids and other optional ingredients, such as color, flavor, etc. The ratio of the fruit solids to liquid is approximately one to one, but could vary between 9.8 to 1 or 1.1 to 1.
The liquid portion is heated to temperatures of 60.degree. to 100.degree. C. and preferably 90.degree. to 95.degree.. Then the liquid and solid portions are mixed about one to four minutes. The mixture is then shaped, typically by running it through an extruder or a pasta machine to form into ropes or strands. The rope is permitted to cool and then is cut into pieces. Suitable non-sticking coating could be used.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,853,245 (Bouillette et al) shows a method of making a food product which is in the pieces or lumps of reconstructed fruit. Two different mixtures are placed in two storage tanks. In storage tank No. 1 there is basically a fruit concentrate, made up of a fruit puree, crystal sugar, an alcohol constituent (high percentage of alcohol), trisodic citrate and possibly citrate acid. The second tank contains sodium alginate, anhydrous dicalcic phosphate, crystal sugar and water. The mixtures from the two tanks are blended in a mixture and discharged, presumably into chunks or pieces which then harden to make the final product.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,117,172 (Bradshaw et al) describes a process for forming a fruit product which has an interior fluid or plastic simulates core and a relatively hard exterior shell. Thus, this simulates natural fruit products such as gooseberries, grapes, cherries, or black currants. First, a fruit pulp or puree is provided, and this forms 25% or more by weight of the total mixture.
An alginate sol is prepared by mixture of sodium alginate (1.5 parts), sugar (8.5 parts) and water (40 parts). The sodium alginate and sugar are mixed dry and water is added.
Then a puree mix was prepared (in this case a gooseberry puree) by providing:
______________________________________ Gooseberry Puree 35 parts Sugar 10 parts Coloring and 0.5 parts flavoring agents Water 4.5 parts ______________________________________
The alginate sol gooseberry puree are mixed in equal proportions and then extruded into a trough containing a solution of the following:
______________________________________ Calcium lactate penta-hydrate 5 parts Sugar (or the like) 20 parts Lactic acid 1 part Water 74 parts ______________________________________
The alginate sol and fruit mixture is extruded through apertures that open directly into the calcium lactate solution. On extrusion, a skin of calcium alginate is formed around each extruded piece. The pieces take a rounded shape similar to gooseberries, and are deposited on a conveyor belt which carries them through the trough. After ten minutes the pieces are removed from the calcium lactate solution, and there is an exterior surface that is thick and strong enough to withstand piling into a container. The pieces are then promptly put into an aqueous syrup. After standing for one half hour, the pieces are heated to 90.degree. C. (steam kettle) in the aqueous syrup for a short period of time to prevent the core from becoming firm and these are then canned while still hot.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,922,360 (Sneath) discloses a process of making a simulated soft center fruit pieces, rather similar to the Bradshaw et al patent noted immediately above. Both of these are assigned to Lever Brothers Company of New York. In this patent,there is first provided a fruit pulp mix containing calcium iron. In the example given, this is as follows:
______________________________________ Percentage by Weight ______________________________________ Black Currant pulp 41.1 water 42.8 Calcium lactate 1.1 Citrate Acid 0.2 Sugar 12.7 Cross Linked Farina 1.7 Carboxymethyl cellulose 0.5 ______________________________________
As a separate ingredient, an alginate sol containing two percent by weight of sodium alginate was prepared.
There is shown an apparatus for forming this product where fruit puree droplets 10 are discharged through a center tube 2. There is a surrounding chamber 7 at the outlet end of the tube 2, and this chamber contains alginate so. A pneumatic pulsator is attached to a line 4 that communicates with the interior of the tube 2, and this causes drops of the fruit puree to drop off the end of the tube 2. Because of the surrounding alginate sol solution, a coating 11 surrounds the fruit puree droplet. This droplet 12 falls into the bath 10 which is a three percent by weight aqueous solution of calcium lactate. The drops remain in this bath for about five minutes and a firm exterior is formed, and the stickiness of the outer surface is eliminated. It is stated that when this particular product is canned in an aqueous syrup and sterilized at 130.degree. C. for 30 minutes these simulated black currants formed had a texture remarkably similar to real cooked black currants. This also appears to be less relevant.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,682,654 (Johnson) relates to a process for forming artificial food pieces which simulate products having actual fruit therein. The overall method is described in column 1 of that patent, beginning on line 38, as follows:
"I have now discovered that artificial berries containing a liquid center can be simply prepared by merely encompassing an aqueous solution containing flavoring and a gel setting agent capable of causing an aqueous solution of hydrophilic colloid to set up by such a hydrophilic colloid solution. Since the interior of the berry does not contain the material capable of being set-up, the surface film or skin is formed from the inside out and the center or interior remains liquid. My invention thus provides unique artificial flavored berries which find use as additives to various foods including ice cream, cakes, pastries, muffins, pies, sauces, jams, candies and the like. PA1 "In practicing my invention, two aqueous solutions are made. The first comprises water, flavoring and a gel setting agent capable to causing the hydrophilic colloid in the second solution to set up and form a skin around portions or droplets of the first solution. The second solution comprises water and a hydrophilic colloid capable of being setup by the gel setting agent."
An example is given in column 3 of the patent. The water in the first solution is at about 1215.degree. F., while the water in the second solution is about 200.degree. F. Individual droplets of the first solution are dropped into the second solution and allowed to remain in the second solution for about one/half to two minutes. The resulting artificial flavored berry product is then removed from the second solution. These have a continuous skin or encasement and a liquid center which remains as such for extended periods of storage.
Also, there are in the prior art various systems for forming an extruded food product. A search of the patent literature has disclosed the following:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,251,547 (Liggett) shows a means for forming a fishing bait from an alginate mix. The bait mix is exposed to a fluid that causes the alginate to form a skin on a droplet. In FIG. 4, the bait material is ejected by a pulsating pump into the solidifying so that ridges are formed. If the pump does not pulse a smooth sided article is formed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,704 (McCarthy et al) shows a means for ejecting a food product from the valve structure shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, into a mold.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,737,328 (Schumann) shows a system in which a confection is dropped from holder 12, to a conveyor belt where it hardens. There is an oscillating wire structure on the bottom of 12, to form the material into droplets.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,647,478 (Minor et al) shows a means to form pellets of ice cream by extruding the material on to a conveyor belt. There are cutting wires 24, that oscillate to cut the material being extruded into required lengths.